The Huguan Crisis is an event in 1911 in southern China that became the forerunner of the Xinhai Revolution .
Content
Background
After China lost the Second Opium War , a massive infiltration of foreign capital into the country began. One of the manifestations of this was the massive construction by foreign companies of railways in the Qing Empire in the second half of the XIX century. By the end of the 19th century, the Chinese national bourgeoisie began to take shape, but it was in unequal conditions compared to foreign capital.
The years 1905-1908 passed under the banner of "economic" movements deployed by Shenshi , the bourgeoisie and the bourgeois landowners, who fought to strengthen their positions in the country's economic structure and push aside foreign capital. It all began in the form of anti-foreign boycotts and a campaign “for the return of rights taken away by foreigners,” and later turned into a movement “in defense of the railways” and against new foreign railway loans.
Huguan Railways
In 1905, with the participation of the treasury, two mixed joint-stock companies were created for the construction of two-line Huguan railways ( Hankou - Chengdu and Hankou- Guangzhou ) with a total capital of about 40 million yuan. Part of it belonged to the government, the other replenished by special taxes and extortion from the population, as well as shares distributed among the Shensha , the bourgeoisie and landowners of the provinces of Sichuan , Hunan , Guangdong and Hubei .
In May 1911, the Manchu government nationalized these companies in exchange for receiving a huge Huguan loan from a banking consortium of Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States. Under this transaction, the Manchus received large amounts of money for their own needs, and weakened the position of peripheral rulers of the Yangtze Valley and South China, and private shareholders had to pay for it. Large shareholders were promised to pay only part of their value, and small shares turned into nothing. This nationalization of railways struck at millions of taxpayers — peasants, artisans, and small traders. The decree on the nationalization of roads and the news of the signing of the loan agreement provoked a wave of indignation in four provinces.
Sichuan rebellion
In June, the opposition created the Sichuan Railway Protection Partnership in Chengdu, and soon its branches appeared in other cities. The student joined the movement. On August 24, a rally was held in Chengdu, which gathered tens of thousands of people. A strike of traders and students swept the whole province. On the ground, the poor were trashed by tax offices and police stations. The opposition urged the population not to pay land tax. In September, the Manchu government transferred troops from the “new order” to Sichuan from Hubei province to suppress the recalcitrant. In response, the leaders of the movement issued an appeal about “Sichuan’s self-defense,” that is, essentially its independence from Beijing. The shooting by order of the governor of the province of a peaceful demonstration in Chengdu was a signal for armed struggle.
The first to revolt was the population of Xinjin; the city was in the hands of the rebels, to the side of which the units of the "new army", sent to suppress them, crossed. Armed detachments of secret societies from many counties moved to Chengdu, joined by various strata of workers, students, and a number of army units. The rebels surrounded Chengdu, but could not take the city, and after numerous battles retreated. On September 25, the rebels proclaimed Sichuan independence. By early October, the Qing troops with great difficulty managed to suppress the main centers of resistance.
Results and implications
The Sichuan uprising caused a huge resonance in the country, in different cities (including Beijing and Shanghai) many thousands of meetings were held in support of the rebels. In the neighboring provinces of Hubei and Hunan, young people began to form volunteer squads to help the rebels, and on October 10 an armed uprising began in Wuchang Province, which was the beginning of the Xinhai Revolution .
Sources
- O. E. Nepomnin “The History of China: The Age of Qing. XVII - the beginning of the XX century "- Moscow:" Eastern literature ", 2005. ISBN 5-02-018400-4